Moses shares his heart, his personal regret, and his hope for Israel.

Deuteronomy Chapter 3: Conquest of Og; the Granting of Land; and the Transition of Leadership

The Passage and Some Thoughts

Verses 1-11 relate the story of the Israelites conquering Og. Once again it was utter destruction and killing, just as in the case of Sihon earlier. And again, the Israelites took the animals and other spoils, as well as the land. Great details are provided. Chuck Smith reminds us that enemy was made up of giants (the remnant of the Rephaim) – really big men, terrible men, giants. They first appeared in Genesis 14:5 and you can read their story here, The Rephaim. And Moses is saying, “and God delivered even them into your hands”.

Verses 12-17 describe the granting of land to two and a half tribes. The land was given to the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. (This was a repeat of Numbers 32:32-38).

In verses 18-20 we have Moses reminding them how God had promised these tribes this land described above but they had to go to war with their brothers across the Jordan to gain possession of the Promised Land and only when that was all successfully accomplished, could they return to their wives and children on this side of the Jordan.

Verses 21-29 describe the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. In verse 22 he encourages Joshua not to fear the enemies, “for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.” Besides Moses was saying, “Look at what He did for you at Sihon and Og (those giants you conquered).” We need that kind of advice today as we battle the Enemy of God and his agents. He is at work in the riots of America. He is at work in the shutting down of churches in China. He is at work in the persecution of Christians all over India and Africa. May we not fear these enemies.  The battle is God’s. HE is fighting for us. And while we may seem to be losing from a human perspective as our freedoms are eliminated, our churches destroyed, our pastors killed, and even our own lives being at stake – we are indeed winning, for God is fighting for us and our reward is in heaven.

Then in verses 23-26 Moses records how he pleaded with God to let him cross over Jordan to stand in the Promised Land and God would not for He was angry with Moses on account of the Israelites. But in his pleading to God, we note several things:
1. He is now seeing the greatness and strong hand of the Lord in delivering their enemies into the hands of the Isrealites. Sometimes it takes a long time for even a man like Moses to recognize how mighty God is. We lose out on so much because we, even though we are His, we fail to see His power and might as early as we may have otherwise.
2. It is God that shows that to him. Man is often blinded to God’s greatness. So, our prayer for ourselves, our loved ones, others, is that God would reveal Himself to them.
3. His recognition that no one in heaven or on earth, man or god, can do what God has done, is doing, and will do. We need to come to that understanding ourselves and then watch God and let God do what He needs to do. The earlier we get there in our thinking, the greater will be our ability to serve Him and others mightily.
4. Finally, in verse 26, Moses recognizes when God is angry with him and wants to hear no more of his pleading on the matter of being allowed to enter Canaan. We too need to recognize when God has had enough of our disobedience. We need to stop, especially if we have asked for forgiveness and He has forgiven us. Let it go. You missed out on something great, but God has more for you to do. Don’t miss out on that. We can appreciate how much this hurt Moses, and so God saying ‘No’ to us may also hurt us. But we need to believe, as Moses did, that there was a just reason for God’s response and the integrity of God’s character and being is more important than our disappointment in getting a ‘no’ answer.

In verses 27-29, we read of Moses being told to go to the top of Mount Pisgah and look in every direction, and see the Promised Land with his own eyes, though he was not allowed to cross over the Jordan to feel it under his feet. [When Moses actually gets to do this is the point where this book we are studying, Deuteronomy, will actually end.  So, hang in there.] Moses was actually told to replace himself with Joshua and to do all in his power to encourage him in crossing over the Jordan. The chapter ends with Moses saying, for now, “we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.”

Wrap-up

In this chapter, we see again God’s magnificent power (He defeated the greatest of enemies), His love for His people (He delivered the lands of the enemies into their hands), and His adherence to justice (He would not change His mind with respect to letting Moses enter the Promised Land).

Can we all learn those three lessons? We need to. God is almighty. God loves us. God is just and His word will be accomplished.

If there is anything that we need to convey to others it is those three characteristics of God and the fact that we can enjoy their benefits through His Son Jesus Christ. May that be so with each of us.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

"God we have a problem. If our sisters marry, we may lose our land."

Numbers Chapter 36: Special Problem of Inheritance in Canaan

Intro to Numbers 36:1-13

Day 96. Just got word today from the Premier of our Province that our City can move to Stage 2 of Re-opening which means: indoor shopping malls can open; barbershops and salons can open; and restaurants can serve meals on their patios only. Social distancing, etc., is still to be maintained, people can only have parties up to 10 individuals at their house, and churches can have worship services at 30% seating capacity. And that’s exactly what we did yesterday at our church, and it went very well.  Thankful for such mercies.  We press on.

Today we have our last study in the book of Numbers. It’s been most interesting but there’s still a few problems to iron out.  Take a look. . .

The Passage

And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, ² and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. ³ But if they ^[a]marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; thus it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance. ⁴ When the jubilee of the sons of Israel ^[b]comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

⁵ Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the ^[c]word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph are right in their statements. ⁶ This is ^[d]what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry ^[e]whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’⁷ Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall ^[f]be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each ^[g]hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. ⁸ Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹ Thus no inheritance shall ^[h]be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each ^[i]hold to his own inheritance.”
¹⁰ Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons. ¹² They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance ^[j]remained with the tribe of the family of their father.
¹³ These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

Footnotes

1. Numbers 36:3 Lit become wives to, in this ch
2. Numbers 36:4 Lit shall be
3. Numbers 36:5 Lit mouth
4. Numbers 36:6 Lit the thing which
5. Numbers 36:6 Lit to the good one in their eyes
6. Numbers 36:7 Lit turn about
7. Numbers 36:7 Lit cleave
8. Numbers 36:9 Lit turn about
9. Numbers 36:9 Lit cleave
10. Numbers 36:12 Lit was

Thoughts on the Passage

You will remember that Manasseh was to get land on both sides of the Jordan – in Moab (east of Jordan) and some in Canaan, the Promised Land itself. They approached Moses and all the leaders of each tribe with a unique problem.

It seems that the land that was to be Zelophehad (from the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph) went to his daughters as he had died and left no sons. (You will remember this story from Numbers 16.) So, the stated the obvious which was if one of these five daughters would marry a man from another tribe, their tribe would lose the inherited land and it would be added to the inheritance of the other tribe from whence the new husband came. And there is also reference to this possibly happening when the next ‘jubilee’ came around.

First, it amazes me that, to be it in one way, the tribes were so tribal. Second, that land was the key commodity here between the tribes. This was their biggest concern. One can understand this to be the case as the story of the chosen people goes back to Abraham and there is great evidence of his involvement with land. And of course, from a human perspective, the most important part of the Covenant that God made with Israel was, to the people, the promised ‘land’ rather than that they would multiply to be more than the stars in the sky, or more important still that they would be God’s people and He would be their God. All three were blessings, but they focused on the least important of the three.

After inquiring of the Lord, as was his custom, Moses reported that those raising the concern were right. And thus, God had commanded that the daughters could marry “whom they wished” as long as it was from the tribe of Joseph. Thus, no land would be transferred to another tribe.

Once again, our Hero God comes to the rescue with a most desirable solution. Several things to note here.  First, the number of people in all of the sons of Israel at the time was large enough that what God suggested would not be a problem. Secondly, we note that the women could marry “whom they wished” (verse 6) as long as it was from the tribe of Joseph or the sub-families therein. And this made sense for these five women as they had no brothers and certainly no father to veto their choice. 

What is not clear for me from this passage was whether this “whom they wished” was subject to the agreement of the next of kin male – their uncles. And if so, we can see the complications here seen they would be selecting males to marry from the sons of these very uncles. And if they were to have the final say, then you could see the uncles vying for the most beautiful of the daughters for their son, etc., etc. Not a pretty scene.  So, God again knew what He was doing when He gave this decision to the sons (and daughters) of Israel.

Some commentators, using verse 13 of the chapter, feel that this solution here was also to be perpetual. Others are silent on that, perhaps thinking that the reference to “commandments and ordinances” in verse 13 really referred to all the other commands and ordinances given earlier in the entire book of Numbers.

One other thing that is not clear for me is whether or not this “whom they will” says anything with respect to our more modern marriages today, at least for the believer. I think at the very least, we may agree that the Bible from this point forward does not call for forced or arranged marriages. At the same time, there is enough precedence to state that the Bible strongly recommends that young people marrying should at least have the blessings of the parents and perhaps even the permission of the spouse’s parents. I know when I got married 49 years ago, I asked for my parents’ blessing and I asked my wife’s parents for my future wife’s hand. Fortunately, everyone was in agreement. I am glad I didn’t have to deal with a “negative” from either side. Not sure what I would have done in 1971.

And verse 10 tells us that in fact, each of the five daughters, married their uncles’ sons so that the land inheritance remained with the tribe of their father.

That means they married their “first cousins” and God allowed it.  But He did that for a purpose and in a particular situation at a particular time in the history of the young sons of Israel. We can note that the Bible forbids sexual relations with “close relatives” – but the children of uncles are not listed among that definition. For a good reference for that very issue, click What about marrying your first cousin?

Wrap-up

Not the greatest way to wrap up the book of Numbers in my opinion, but hey, whatever works for Moses and God.  Clearly, as they enter the Promised Land, we may take this challenge of chapter 36 as one that may well predict that the Israelites will have a lot of problems to deal with going forward. But with their leaders going to God for answers, and with God promising to always be with them, they’ll get the answer they’ll need. And obeying those answers, will bring blessings. The problems arise when one person or a whole nation ignores the instructions God gives to them.

Numbers took us from the Exodus to the doorstep of Canaan, the Promised Land. Almost four decades of experience. Now we need to keep in mind that the next book we will study, Deuteronomy, is not a book which tells us what happens next but rather is a series of farewell messages by Moses addressed primarily to the new generation that is about to enter the land. These occur during the forty years, not afterwards. Hang in there.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Provides for Clergy through Laity; Justice for the Innocent; and Death for the Convicted.

Numbers Chapter 35: Cities for the Levites and Cities of Refuge

Intro to Numbers 35:1-34

Day 94 for our social distancing – although it’s Day 101 officially since this all started – the day that W.H.O. declared a pandemic was here. We were fortunate enough to be away for that first week. All the stats globally are continuing to go in the right direction with the number of deaths versus all known cases being at 5.28%. However, some local areas, especially in the U.S. are still experiencing concern with a high number of cases being discovered. This weekend we get to see our youngest grandchildren – the first time in 13.5 weeks and we can attend church as well for the first time in the same period. We were informed today that the on-line registration for the 30% capacity attendance at our church that opened on a Tuesday closed three days later and names could only be put on a waiting list. This will repeat itself each week going forward in accordance with whatever wisdom our Premier decides to apply to churches. Yes, the world has changed.

We personally are excited that we are coming to the conclusion of our study in the Old Testament Book of Numbers. Today we look at the cities that the Levites would have reserved for them to live in since being the tribe responsible for the priestly duties of the Israelites, they weren’t entitled to any land inheritance. And the chapter also talks about the cities of Refuge that would be available for people to go to under certain circumstances which the text describes. Again, we keep in mind God’s Providence for all.  Let’s read on. There’s a lot to try and unravel here. So, let’s first get familiar with the passage. You can read it here or in your preferred version of the text.

The Passage

35 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, ² “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. ³ The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

⁴ “The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city ^[a]outward a thousand cubits around. ⁵ You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.
⁶ The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. ⁷ All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, ^[b]together with their pasture lands. ⁸ As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits.”
⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has ^[c]killed any person unintentionally may flee there. ¹² The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for ^[d]trial. ¹³ The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. ¹⁴ You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities ^[e]in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who ^[f]kills a person unintentionally may flee there.
¹⁶ ‘But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁷ If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁹ The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him. ²⁰ If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, ²¹ or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
²² ‘But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait, ²³ or with any ^[g]deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, ²⁴ then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances. ²⁵ The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.²⁶ But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, ²⁷ and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood ²⁸ because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.
²⁹ ‘These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
³⁰ ‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the ^[h]evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.³¹ Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. ³² You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land ^[i]before the death of the priest.³³ So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. ³⁴ You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”

Footnotes

1. Numbers 35:4 Lit and outward
2. Numbers 35:7 Lit them
3. Numbers 35:11 Lit smote
4. Numbers 35:12 Lit judgment
5. Numbers 35:14 Lit you shall give in
6. Numbers 35:15 Lit smites
7. Numbers 35:23 Lit by which he may die
8. Numbers 35:30 Lit mouth
9. Numbers 35:32 Or until

Thoughts on the Passage

These instructions were given to Moses when Israel was still in the plains of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan.

The cities that the Levites were to get was to come from the inherited land that all the tribes were to get (including the ones that were to stay east of Jordan and not reside in the Promised Land). The Levite cities were to be surrounded by land for the Levite livestock. Such pastureland was to extend outward from the cities the Levites were given, and the pastures were to be of a specific size. And the exact size of those parcels of land was given by God. Our God is a God of details. Matthew Henry points out that these lands were not to be ‘farmed’ or ‘tilled’ – as Levites had to devote themselves to the things of the priesthood rather than the work involved in actual farming.

If I read verse 6 correctly, there were to be 42 cities for the Levites, plus six cities of refuge, also to be under the care of the Levites. These cities and lands came from each of the tribes’ inheritance and that has two benefits: The tribes’ personal contribution to the priesthood via their own inheritance, as well as the benefit of having the Levites and their work near them.

Larger tribes would give more land than smaller tribes, proportionally. In verse 9 we learn that the cities of refuge were to be chosen by the tribes (not the Levites).

The purpose of these cities was made clear in verses 11-15. They were for those who had killed someone unintentionally. They were to protect them from avengers until they could stand trial. Also, these cities were for the aliens and the sojourners among the Israelites. Revenge killing was a tradition of the culture from which the Israelites had come. Some argue that it was not God’s preference, as He says elsewhere in Scripture “Revenge is Mine”, but for some reason He did allow it here, as something the Israelites could hold on to from their past. That puts us in a dilemma as to what should our posture on capital punishment and other forms of penalty should be for the crime of taking a life. It is not an easy matter to resolve, especially today.

What we can point out is how fair God wanted to be even in this practice, by establishing these refuge cities. He wanted to give the charged person every chance possible to be proven innocent if he was innocent. As Chuck Smith says, God created limitations and loopholes for the innocent parties. Smith’s words describe God’s approach here at this point in His People’s history:

“So, here God deals with a cultural practice, modifying it, bringing it within borders, within limitations, providing for the innocent. And yet the murderer was in no way to be set free. They were not to actually put to death a man with one witness. There had to be at least two witnesses.”

But God had no hesitation in actually having the guilty party put to death. Let us not forget that. But today our penal system seems to think God’s way was not the right one and many want to do away with capital punishment. So, our “polluted” land remains so, as we’ll see later.

Interestingly, out of the six refuge cities, 3 were on the east side of the Jordan and three in Canaan.”

Now the rest of the chapter seems to swing back to describe what happens to real murderers. Murderers, regardless of what means they used to kill someone, were to be put to death. And it was the blood avenger of the murdered person that would do the killing of the murderer.

From verse 22 on, we have instructions as to what is to happen in some other specific cases. Accidental deaths caused by others, would subject the murderer to the congregation who would decide between the murderer and the avenger.

Verse 25 goes straight into saying that the congregation will save the murderer from the avenger (I assume in the case where the congregation decides in his favor) but cause him to live in a refuge city until the death of the existing high priest. Unless of course, he tries to escape from his city of refuge, the blood avenger is free to find him and kill him without being guilty.  Once the high priest dies, the murderer could return to his inherited land and live freely.

All these ordinances are to be kept throughout all generations.

Now verse 30 talks about putting a murderer to death but only if there is more than one witness. And there is not to be a means by which the murderer’s life can be bought off with a ransom. He has to be put to death. The same is true for anyone who escapes his city of refuge.

Wrap-up

The whole purpose of these laws was given in verse 33: “so that you don’t pollute the land in which you are”.  And I like the next part – “for blood pollutes the land and no expiation (the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement) can be made for the land . . . except by the blood of him who shed it.”

Is there any land in the world anymore that by this definition has not been polluted? I hardly think so. Is much of our own countries under that same form of pollution? Even the blood of him who polluted the land is not able any longer to atone for the land – only the blood of Christ can do that now if we let it.

The chapter ends with, “Don’t defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.” Wow. We need to recognize that God lives among His people. And regrettably, we live in polluted lands. At the very least, we must make certain that our “hearts” – God’s true residence in lives of man now – are pure and without pollution. May it be so for you and me.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.